Palm Coast man accused of firing gun to scare wife

Published: Monday, December 31, 2012 at 2:16 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, December 31, 2012 at 8:07 p.m.

A Palm Coast man is accused of firing a gun to scare his wife, according to a Flagler County sheriff's report.

Joseph Anthony Curtis, 50, was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after deputies determined he shot his Ruger Mini 14, .223-caliber gun on the back porch of his home.

"She stated that he then yelled at her that this was to show her that the firearm was real and loaded while discharging one round from the firearm," reported Deputy Robert Blanton.

Alexndra Van Cleef-Curtis told Blanton "she was in fear for her life" and that she and her husband had been "arguing for hours."

Van Cleef-Curtis took possession of the firearm and called 9-1-1 after Curtis returned the gun to a bedroom closet and went outside to retrieve the shell casing, the report states.

A witness at the home on Zinnia Trail corroborated Van Cleef-Curtis' story, Blanton reported.

Curtis was booked into the Flagler County Inmate Facility where he remained Monday on $2,000 bail.

<p>A Palm Coast man is accused of firing a gun to scare his wife, according to a Flagler County sheriff's report.</p><p>Joseph Anthony Curtis, 50, was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after deputies determined he shot his Ruger Mini 14, .223-caliber gun on the back porch of his home. </p><p>"She stated that he then yelled at her that this was to show her that the firearm was real and loaded while discharging one round from the firearm," reported Deputy Robert Blanton. </p><p>Alexndra Van Cleef-Curtis told Blanton "she was in fear for her life" and that she and her husband had been "arguing for hours."</p><p>Van Cleef-Curtis took possession of the firearm and called 9-1-1 after Curtis returned the gun to a bedroom closet and went outside to retrieve the shell casing, the report states.</p><p>A witness at the home on Zinnia Trail corroborated Van Cleef-Curtis' story, Blanton reported.</p><p>Curtis was booked into the Flagler County Inmate Facility where he remained Monday on $2,000 bail.</p>